Sunless Noon
by BellaBellaIsabella
Summary: Continuation of New Moon: Edward has returned, and life has for the most part returned to normal for Bella Swan. However, normality does not last long. With Victoria still on the hunt and the Volturi watching carefully, the tension between the Vampires
1. Chapter 1

No matter how many times he said he wasn't, Edward was just as stubborn as ever.

It wasn't very often that the subject of my transformation was brought up in our nightly conversations – I'd given up on trying to argue with him, for the most part – but on those rare occasions the subject did slip up.

This was one of those times.

"So eager for eternal damnation…" he muttered for the hundredth time, his perfect face hardly two inches from mine as he lay beside me, his body and mine separated by the barrier of blankets. I was quite sure that had by now become his favorite slogan when the conversation came to this particular subject. It annoyed me to no end.

"Would you stop _saying _ that?" I asked, looking into his amber eyes. I could feel my brows pull together slightly.

"I'm sorry, it still amazes me why you're constantly _begging_ me to inject an extremely potent and painful venom into your bloodstream." he answered rather stonily, his face serene except for the quick flash behind his eyes. He still didn't seem to understand the completely obvious reason why. I could see the question burning in his eyes, though it remained unasked.

"You _know _ why." I said quietly, all traces of annoyance gone as I looked down at my hand resting on his chest and the faint glint of silver and emerald entwined around my ring finger. A 'placeholder', he called it. I felt the cool stone of his body shudder and I looked hurriedly back to his face, catching the last of his silent chuckle.

"And you know why I refuse to change you." he said, grinning widely. My heart jumped for a moment – whether it was because of the perfection of his features or the realization of where this conversation was headed, I didn't know.

"I believe we agreed," he continued, "That we agreed on a bargain, no? That bargain calls for you to hold up your end before I can come through on mine."

Gulp. Okay, so maybe it wasn't such a good idea to look at the ring.

"Edward, _please _," I begged, snuggling closer to him and burying my face in his chest so I wouldn't have to see his expression. As the scent of his skin filled my nostrils, I had to concentrate a moment to remember I hadn't finished my sentence yet.

"Let's not do this tonight." I murmured, my words half-muffled by his shirt. He chuckled again, this time allowing the beautiful sound to escape his lips, though it was already amplified because of my ear's proximity to his chest.

"Ah, so _now _ you don't want to talk." he said, his tone light in amusement. His hands came to my shoulders, gently prying me away from his chest with such strength that my feeble struggles to cling to him looked like a baby reaching for its blanket. Like that was a surprise.

He pulled only far enough away so as to be able to look at me. I made the mistake of looking up to meet his gaze – his eyes were smoldering. I tried to look away but knew that it was a pointless effort. I was done for the second I raised my eyes.

"You know I don't like broken deals, Bella." he said, his voice quiet and seductive.

"I do…" I answered, surprised my voice still worked, "But…"

"But _what_?" he asked.

There was a good answer to that. I knew there was. If only he would look away a moment so I could gather my thoughts…

"You're doing it again." I mumbled, finally forcing my eyes closed.

"Doing what?" he asked innocently. _Too _innocently.

"Your eyes. The smoldering thing. Dazing me." I clarified. A short chuckle

escaped his lips this time. When I opened my eyes, he was looking just above my head, staring at the wall.

"But what?" he reminded me as I paused to recollect my thoughts. I sighed.

"I just…" I struggled to find the right words; I didn't want it to sound like a flat out rejection. "I…can't—"

"Can't _what_?" he asked, still staring at the wall. The amused expression was gone, replaced by one of frustration. "You've already begged me to change you multiple times, you've begged Carlisle multiple times, hell, you've begged _Alice_ so many times she's begun asking Carlisle how to do it! You want to sell your soul; you want to become a _vampire_ so you can be with me forever. What difference would it make if we were married or not?"

"Exactly." I replied. Of course, I only got "Exa—" before he barreled on again.

"Are you afraid because of what you've seen between Charlie and Renée? You know perfectly well that the conditions surrounding their relationship and ours are of two completely different natures. I promise you – I _swear _to you that I would die before I let ourselves fall apart as easily as that."

"Edward—"

"Or is it the dog-man?" he asked, his voice a bit heated as he continued without paying any heed to me. "Has he told you something? Or is he still such a big ache in you that you can't say yes to me without feeling like you betrayed him? I've told you before, if it's him that you want, I won't stop you from going to him. I just want you to be _happy_, Bella. Just give me the word and I'll step aside. I'll melt so far into the shadows—"

I pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him instantly as his eyes flicked down to meet mine.

"Slow down for half a second, _please_." I said. The talk of him leaving caused an ever-so-subtle ache in my chest. He had been with me for so long now…but I suppose the hole wasn't completely healed yet. I paused for a moment to let it pass before continuing.

"It's not like that, and you know it." I said, looking at him sternly, "I have no fear of us breaking, Jacob is hardly part of the problem, and if you think that I would ever, _ever_ want you to leave me again, then you have some very large issues to take care of."

His eyes smoldered again, and I didn't resist it this time. His gaze was soft and loving, his perfect lips curled slightly into a subtle smile. His fingers brushed my face again before he answered, his sweet voice drizzled with a tone that set my heart fluttering at once.

"At some point or another, Isabella Swan, you _are_ going to be my wife."

My heart swelled to the point of bursting at the sound of the word. _Be my wife_…was there ever a more perfect sentence? I couldn't argue with him, because I knew what he said was true. At some point, I _was_ going to give in to that particular demand…but…

"Not now." I said quietly, my fingers fiddling with the cloth of his shirt.

"But some day." he said.

"Some day." I verified.

That seemed to satisfy him. He pulled me to his chest again. I whined slightly as the blankets got in my way, pushing them roughly aside as I struggled to snuggle my body as close to his as possible, my face resting against his cool chest as my fingers clutched to his shirt.

"You should probably try and get some sleep." he whispered, and I could feel his lips move against my hair.

"I don't want to sleep." I protested. He didn't seem to buy it.

"It's two in the morning."

"So?"

"School tomorrow."

"I've done it before."

He sighed, his sweet breath rippling my hair. Several moments stretched on in comfortable silence, our breathing and Charlie's distant snores the only things audible to me.

He seemed to have been conscious of Charlie's snoring as well, because he asked me, "So…how am I? With Charlie, I mean."

"No better, no worse." I answered truthfully, without thinking. I could almost feel his frown, the infinitesimal sagging of his arms and body not going unnoticed. I buried my head deeper into his chest.

"It'll get better." I promised him, "He just has to get used to the idea that you're not leaving me again…"

"How long will that take?" he asked, his voice hardly loud enough for me to hear.

"I don't know." I answered quietly. I kissed his chest reassuringly, and his arms tightened around me again. Another silence ensued.

"Sleep." he urged me quietly, squeezing my body slightly.

At this point, I had to admit sleep was an option – I think I was already half asleep by the time I realized that. I struggled closer to him, thwarted again by the blankets.

"Get under the covers, will you?" I asked rather blearily, my eyes closed as I poked his chest.

"You'll freeze." he pointed out.

"Do you think I care?"

He sighed again. There was hardly any movement. Just a quick, soft jolt of the mattress and then he was beside me, no covers blocking me from him any more. I shifted my whole body to rest alongside his, and his arms tightened further around me.

"Comfortable?" he asked quietly.

I tucked my head beneath his chin. "Yes."

"Good." he whispered. He pulled an arm from around me for a moment, his body moving as he reached quickly for something. I heard a click and the whirr of the CD player. Next thing I knew, his arm was back around me, and the soft sound of my lullaby filled the room. I sighed.

He shifted slightly so he could kiss the top of my head, then reset his position as he softly hummed along with the CD. It wasn't long before I found myself drifting off in to a comfortable nothingness.

------------------------------------------

The dreams started again that night.

The emerald light of the sunlit forest filtered down through the trees, Edward's skin catching the light in odd patches where the leaves were absent. I felt his cool skin in my hand as we walked through the peaceful woodland. We weren't far from the house – I could still see my truck when I looked behind me – and it was exceedingly warm for Forks. This surprised me a bit as we walked, but Edward caught my eye and smiled serenely. I didn't think of anything else again.

Then suddenly we were in the meadow. The peace was gone, and I felt an uneasy squirm in the pit of my stomach. Something wasn't right.

Things quickly went downhill from here.

The trees at the edge of the forest shook slightly, and then there was a strange, white light. I was blinded for several seconds, but Edward was already snarling, crouching protectively in front of me. My eyes adjusted, and I quickly realized why. The strange light was a vampire walking in the sun, coming towards us with an easy, cocky gait.

Victoria had found me at last.

A full-out growl rumbled in Edward's throat as she grinned wickedly, continuing closer to us.

"Well now, Bella. It's been a while." she said, and Edward barked a warning. She looked to him and nodded. "It would seem you've returned as well, Edward. Well, there goes _my _ fun."

A branch snapped somewhere in the forest nearby, and both vampires looked up. Their eyes flickered in recognition as the wind blew their way. Edward's eyes narrowed, Victoria's widened in fear. She didn't take another step towards us – rather, she spun on her heel and disappeared into the trees again. And not a second too late, either. A huge, russet wolf stepped into sight, carrying something large and limp in its mouth. Taking one look at us, Jacob dropped his package at our feet. It took a moment for my mind to register what I was seeing, but the tears didn't take so long.

_ Charlie!! _

There my dad lay, limp and pale, two blood-stained wounds in the side of his neck. The color drained from my face.

Jacob, now back to human form, looked up at Edward, hate glaring furiously in his eyes.

"You've broken the treaty." he said, his voice surprisingly calm.

"We've done no such thing." Edward answered, also managing a flat, easy tone. I saw him glance at me over his shoulder, as if to be sure that I was alright. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"A human's been killed. By a bloodsucker." Jacob wasn't so calm anymore. His fists shook as his eyes flashed dangerously. "Bella can't continue to sit on the fence anymore."

I looked up, suddenly drawn into the conversation again. I could hardly comprehend what Jacob had said.

"Wh-what?" I asked, my eyes burning as I tried unsuccessfully to stem the flow of tears.

"The peace is broken." Edward answered for him, his eyes not leaving Jake, "He means that you can't continue to be at peace with both my family and his… _pack _at the same time."

"You need to choose." Jake said, nodding.

"To…choose?" my voice wavered. I couldn't understand why. They'd gotten along fine enough up to that point…admittedly, neither of them had ever met face to face without an argument ensuing, but…

"You know I can't do that." I said, my voice hardly more than a whisper. They both heard me. They both frowned.

"Bella, it can't work like this anymore." Edward said quietly, "You need to completely sever ties with one of us. There's not going to be any more peace soon – it has to be one or the other."

"You _have _to choose." Jacob added, "Either me, him, or neither. There is no both."

I sat for several minutes, looking between the two of them. The tears bean to come harder as I realized just how much my decision was going to hurt Jacob. He looked at me, his eyes filled with such desperate begging. I wasn't sure I'd be able to live with myself.

Edward stood up from his crouch, and turned to look at me. His eyes were hurt when they met mine, and he started to walk by me.

"Edward--!" I said, catching his arm, but he shrugged my hand off.

"I can't stay here anymore." he said quietly, "Come find me when you've made your decision."

The horrible, splitting pain returned to my chest as the hole that was nearly healed reopened itself, threatening to tear my chest in two. I collapsed to the ground –

And woke up in my room, clutching at my chest and gasping erratically, my face wet with tears.

"Bella?? Bella!"

Edward's worried voice was loud in my ear, his hands gripping my shoulders tightly. "Bella! Are you alright? What is it, what happened?"

For a moment, I just looked up at him, the breathing already beginning to return to normal as his eyes melted my fears. He was still here, with me. Very real; very solid. This was no dream. I sighed with relief, noticing with a slight pang that my subconscious hardly did him justice.

"Bella?" his voice was softer now, most of the anxiety no longer noticeable as he calmed, seeing that I wasn't in trouble. I felt his cool hand against my face, stroking away the tears. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said, still breathless. Feeling him stroke away the tears had absolutely nothing to do with that, of course, but I held completely still nonetheless. "It was just a dream."

"A dream?"

"A dream."

This seemed to placate him. His brows smoothed, his tensed muscles relaxed. He continued to drag his knuckles across my cheek bone, soothing me.

"Did you want to talk about it?" he asked, his voice soft and musical.

I hesitated a moment before gently shaking my head. I didn't want to ruin this moment of quiet peace. We were silent for several moments, his amber eyes winking at me from the darkness, pulling me into them.

He spoke eventually. "How long has it been since your last nightmare?"

"I haven't had one since you came back." I answered, closing my eyes. This had been the first in…weeks? Months? The thought sent a chill down my spine and I felt his arms tighten around me in response.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Fine." I reassured, "I've dealt with nightmares before."

His lips pressed to my forehead again and, despite the coolness of his skin, tingling warmth spread to every inch of my body. I smiled and sighed contentedly.

"Then you're positive that you don't want to talk—"

"Edward." I said gently, my smile becoming one of amusement. "I've been through worse, and I'm fine." There wasn't a whole lot to testify to that statement…

He looked at me carefully, trying to discern whether or not I was telling him the whole truth. He was as frustrated as ever by the fact that he couldn't read my mind, and I knew it worried him. I reached up to lightly touch my lips to his.

"Trust me." I whispered.

His hand was instantly at the back of my head, stopping me from pulling away any further than an inch from him.

"A quick peck is all I get?" he asked quietly, his eyes shinning with a different light now. He looked at me, a hunger burning in the entrancing amber eyes that made my stomach knot. His mood swings were just as sudden as ever.

"I hardly find that fair." he murmured before tightening his hold on me and pulling my face to his.

My breath caught in my chest before his lips even came close to touching mine. But when his cool lips pressed against mine, it was completely gone. He seemed to completely ignore the careful guidelines I had become so used to as he practically attacked my lips, his hand holding me to him as my head spun. I eagerly kissed him back, a soft moan escaping as I leaned towards him, my hands knotting in the hair at the back of his neck.

When we pulled apart, I was pleased to see that I wasn't the only one breathless.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two 

I awoke to the clunking of Charlie's boots echoing up the stairwell, a clatter of dishes in the plaster sink following soon after. I soft groan sounded in the back of my throat and I turned over, burying my head in something hard and cold. The coolness felt good on my skin, and I mindlessly snuggled closer, sighing as I began to drift off again.

"Bella, wake up."

I knew the musical voice that penetrated my murky half-sleep, and I faintly felt my lips turn up in a small smile. I didn't open my eyes yet – sleep was welcome, consciousness not.

"You're going to be late, love."

_Late?_ I wondered to myself, _Late for what?_

A thought struck my subconscious, and stuck for a second. Today was Friday.

_Friday!!_

My eyes flashed open, and I jolted up, the blankets flying half way down my body. A quiet, beautiful laugh sounded next to me, and my eyes immediately locked on Edward's smiling face. I heard movement again downstairs, and the two thoughts clicked together.

"Charlie!!" I hissed, jumping out of bed and glaring at the vampire on my bed. Hair already perfect, his clothes fresh, he looked like a male model even at six in the morning.

Edward laughed again. "I know." he said quietly, his smile unfading as he continued to watch me, "You're quite lovely when you're worried, I've decided."

"Nice to know." I answered, rolling my eyes exasperatedly, "But Charlie is _downstairs!!!_"

"Relax…" he answered. In one of his lightning-fast movements, he was in front of me, his finger trailing across my jaw. "He hasn't caught me."

"He's going to eventually if you _stay_ here." I answered, fighting to keep my gaze hard as he touched me. What I had said was one hundred percent true. Over the past month or so, it had seemed that Charlie had developed an uncanny boy-sense. He seemed to be able to smell Edward a mile away.

"You forgot to set your clock an hour back." he said quietly, "I thought it might be a good idea to be sure that you woke up at the proper time."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Go, please?"

He smiled his crooked smile, his long, cool fingers drifting below and behind my ears as he took my face in his hands. My breath caught as he leaned in to gently press his lips to my forehead.

"Another time, then." he whispered, his lips moving against my skin as he spoke, the scent of his cool breath making my head spin. The next instant, he was gone.

It took me a moment to get my brain functioning correctly again, but when it did I tore off to the bathroom, quickly throwing my hair up into a ponytail and running the toothbrush over my teeth. Skidding back into my room, I pulled on a pair of jeans that I hadn't worn in a while, causing the denim to cling to my legs. I glanced out the window to check the weather before unthinkingly pulling on a white cami, tossing a blue zip-up sweater over it. Snatching my bag from where it sat on my desk, I took the steps two at a time in my hurry to get into the kitchen.

"Bell—oof!"

I hadn't seen Charlie turning the corner as I moved to do the same – I crashed right into him, nearly sending us both sprawling.

"Ow! Oh, uh, hi Dad." I said, trying to recover my balance. He reached out to steady me, looking winded.

"'Morning, Bell." He sounded winded too. "I was just uh…just going to check to make sure you were awake."

"Yeah, sorry about that. My alarm got messed up – I'm a little late." I said, striding past him and into the kitchen. I began to dig through the cabinets for something that would constitute as a four second breakfast.

"I noticed." Charlie answered, coming back into the kitchen. I could feel his eyes on me for a few seconds before he began moving towards the door again. I could hear him shuffle as he pulled his jacket on. "Alright, I'm heading out. Have a nice day, Bells!"

"You too!" I called back, hurriedly grabbing a granola bar as the door slammed down the hall. The roar of the cruiser's engine sounded outside as I ripped the wrapping from the bar, and I stood at the window as he pulled away. I dashed to the garbage to toss out the wrapper and, glancing out the window, saw the silver Volvo waiting in its familiar place in the driveway. A smile automatically came to my lips and I went into the hall, pulling on my shoes and locking the door before stepping outside.

The past week had been rather warm – by Forks standard, anyway. There hadn't been much rain, either. No sun, of course, but the clouds seemed to be less oppressive and a lighter shade of grey. I was quite comfortable in just the sweater.

As I opened the door to the passenger side of the Volvo and slipped in, I could feel Edward's eyes examining me.

"Good _morning_." he said, a strange hint to his voice. I looked to him and caught his appraising gaze as it slid the length of my body, pausing at the low-dipped cami and my exposed collar bones. I tensed slightly as his amber eyes, now flashing hungrily, met mine. My stomach knotted.

Alright, so maybe a cami wasn't the best idea.

"Everything alright?" I asked cautiously.

"Of course." he answered, leaning towards me across the seat.

"Don't get too close," I warned, "I might have morning breath. Not too much time to get ready, remember."

"Hm." he muttered and pressed his lips to mine. My heart raced and blood pounded in my ears, but I kept my arms rigidly at my sides. I had to be a good girl.

"Seems fine enough to me." he said quietly, inhaling deeply before pulling away. I blushed furiously.

Smiling, he straightened and shifted the car into drive, the tires moving smoothly down the brick driveway as he pulled out.

"Sleep well?"

"Perfectly," I answered, my half-nervous smile marring the sarcasm in my voice, "I think I might have actually gotten a total of four hours of sleep last night!"

"You're the one who insisted on staying up, not me." he said, grinning faintly, "Though I was wondering if you could answer a question of mine."

I looked at him expectantly, nodding.

"You never told me what your dream was about last night." he answered, his voice quiet as his liquid-topaz eyes bore into mine. I looked away for fear of spilling everything under the entrancing power of his stare.

"It's nothing, trust me."

"If it _was_ nothing, you wouldn't be avoiding the question."

I frowned. He had me there. I looked out the window again, this time glad to see that we had arrived at school. As he pulled into the parking lot and slid into a space, he hesitated to turn off the engine, his eyes still on me.

"Later." I promised and opened the door. He sighed as I began to collect my things, the engine falling silent. Within seconds and without a sound, he was standing at my open door, offering a hand to help me out. I gladly took his hand and stepped out, my bag over my shoulder. His arm automatically slid around my waist as he shut the door, pulling me against his side. I blushed, of course, my heart rate quickening, and his lips curled upwards in a smile.

The day passed more or less uneventfully. Edward and I still sat next to each other in every class, ignoring Mike's heated stares that had renewed ever since the Cullens had returned. He couldn't seem to comprehend why I would ever even consider forgiving Edward – but I told him I had my reasons, and that was that. Mike never said a word with Edward around, and I supposed that that suited me just fine. Not that I didn't like Mike – he was a cheerful enough guy – but his golden retriever tendencies hadn't faded over the past year. Nor had his failed attempts to become a copy-cat Edward.

There was something that had bothered me, however. Throughout every minute of every class, I could feel Edward's eyes on me. Every time I looked at him, he was constantly staring at me – which, needless to say, made it very difficult for me to concentrate throughout the day. By the time lunch rolled around, I had had enough.

"Any particular reason that you keep staring at me?" I asked him as we moved to sit down at our usual table, a tray filled for two in his hands. "I might be wrong, but I don't think I've mutated or grown a third eye or anything."

He looked at me strangely. "I've been staring?"

"Yeah."

"Hm." was all he said, looking mildly surprised. I didn't get a chance to say anything more because at that moment, Alice joined us.

"Hey guys." she said, sitting down in a graceful, fluid motion.

"Hi, Alice." I answered with a smile. I really did love Alice – she was probably my closest friend in Forks, and was the closest to a sister that I was ever going to get in this lifetime. Of course, there _was_ that alternate, immortal lifetime…

"Emmett and Rosalie canceled their visit – they're going to extend their vacation for a little bit longer." Alice said, glancing slyly at Edward. I watched the two carefully, knowing that she spoke aloud only for my benefit.

"So I heard." Edward answered, fingering a french-fry, "Jasper and yourself are going hunting, as well?"

She nodded. "Yes. Esmé and Carlisle have already headed up to Alaska. The usual spot is filled with mountain lion this time of year…sure you don't want to come, Edward?"

I hardly caught the movement as she flicked her gaze to me. Edward did the same, though he held my gaze as he dazed me with a smile. His eyes were smoldering, for some unexplainable reason.

"Oh, I think I can find a way to keep myself entertained." he said. Something fishy was definitely going on here…

"Suit yourself." Alice answered, shrugging.

"Alright, so what's going on?" I asked, looking between the two of them. They both looked back at me, both their faces carefully surprised.

"What?"

"Nothing's going on, Bella." Edward answered at me. His eyes were dancing with laughter and I frowned slightly.

"I'm willing to bet," I said, "That you already knew that everyone was leaving for the weekend. And I'm _also_ willing to bet that you have something planned."

He looked back at me innocently. "I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you don't." I murmured with contempt.

"Trust us." Alice said, giving me a quick wink.

I only had time enough to shoot her a questioning glance before Mike leaned over the bench towards us, calling to me.

"Bella? Can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked, glancing between Edward and Alice. I took a quick look at the others – at Edward's annoyed, flashing eyes and Alice's now stony expression – before answering.

"Sure," I said, smiling. He stood and motioned for me to follow him as he moved to a more secluded corner of the cafeteria.

"I was just wondering…" he began as he leaned against the wall, a hand in his pocket. He looked at me for a few moments before continuing, and I could see uncertainty in his eyes. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision. Looking at the floor – he seemed almost _ashamed_ – and spoke. "Did you hear what's going on down at the reservation?"

"La Push?" I asked, frowning now. I was getting a bad feeling… "No…what's up?"

"Those wolf things are back," he said, "Billy's been attacked."

My heart stopped. Billy…_attacked_?? But…Jacob…

"_What_?" I asked, disbelief coloring my voice, "Attacked? When? How?"

"I don't know – he's been out for a while, but Dr. Cullen has him staying long term in the hospital. Whatever happened, Billy's lucky to be alive. The thing's claws – or teeth, or whatever – left a pretty deep mark; it just missed his heart."

I suddenly felt sick, implications that Mike could only dream of swimming through my mind. If it had been one of the werewolves that attacked him – if it had been _Jake_…

"Bella?" Mike's voice broke into my reverie, and I looked up to meet his worried gaze. "You okay? You look a little pale…"

"Yeah, yeah…" I said hesitantly. My voice came out as little more than a whisper – I didn't trust it to not crack. "I'm fine."

"I knew that you were close to Jacob, so I figured you might want to know."

"Thanks, Mike." I said, and started to move back to the table again, my head swimming.

"Oh – Bella?"

I stopped. Couldn't he just go _away_?? Trying to keep the reluctance from the movement, I turned to look at him.

"Hm?"

"I was…uh…" he seemed to chicken out again, "You know, never mind. I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah," I said, trying to smile pleasantly, "Bye."

He disappeared through a side entrance as I moved back to the table, numbly taking my seat again. I faintly noticed Edward's and Alice's worried expressions as I reached for a fry.

"Bells?" Alice asked, watching me warily, "Are you alright?"

"Did he tell her?" Edward asked, but he wasn't talking to me. I caught Alice's nod from the corner of my eye, and I frowned.

"You _knew_??" I asked heatedly.

"Bella please—"

"The father of one of my best friends is attacked by a _werewolf_, but could you tell me? Of _course_ not!"

Edward had his mouth open to respond, but the bell rang a second later, cutting off whatever he had to say. He seemed to contemplate continuing for a moment before abruptly clacking his teeth together, standing in one of his swift movements. He looked to be rather annoyed, but at this point, I didn't particularly care.

"Later," he said, picking up his books. I reached to grab the tray, but Alice beat me to it.

"Go," she said, nodding indiscreetly towards Edward as she picked up the garbage and disappeared into the mob of people. I huffed before moving to Edward's side. He took my hand at once.

------------------------------------

The last two classes were a snore, as usual. Edward's eyes were still watching me constantly, distracting me from whatever pointless lesson we had and by last bell, he seemed as eager to get off school grounds as I was. We briskly crossed the parking lot and climbed into the silver Volvo.

"So," he said as he pulled out of the parking lot and into the street, the car gaining speed with every second, "Is it 'later' yet?"

I didn't answer.

"Bella _please_." he begged, looking at me. I had to look away – his begging eyes were far too strong a temptation.

A growl of annoyance rumbled in the back of his throat. "Why won't you tell me?? How bad could it really be??"

"Bad enough." I answered. Bad enough to rip open the wound in my chest again.

"And it's so bad that you can't even tell _me_?" he asked, his voice softer now. I looked back to him and his eyes were on the road, his expression hurt. I looked at my hands, which had folded nervously in my lap.

"It's just a dream." I whispered.

"Which is _exactly_ why I can't understand what makes it so hard for you to tell me!"

I was silent for a long while, and I could feel his anxious eyes on me.

"Was it about me?" he asked quietly, obviously trying a different approach. It worked.

"Yes." My voice was shaky, and less than a whisper. I knew he could hear.

He reached across the seat, his cool hand slipping between mine. I tried to pull away, but there was no escaping his grasp.

"Was it about me leaving?" his voice had dropped even further, and I couldn't look up to meet his pained gaze. I didn't know what to say. He took my silence as affirmation.

His hand withdrew from mine, slowly, and I could feel a pang of pain in my heart.

"Bella, look at me." he whispered. I raised my face and was startled to see his face hardly an inch from mine. The sadness, anxiousness displayed in his gaze hit me far harder than I could have believed – had he not been so close, I wouldn't have been able to look at him.

"I'm not leaving." came his musical voice, soft, every syllable of his words causing my heart to leap sporadically.

"I know you're not, but—"

"But _nothing_." he sighed as he reached up to brush my hair behind my ear, his touch lighter than a moth's wings. I had only seen such pain in his eyes once before, and even then it wasn't as unmasked as it was now. The wound in my heart ached uncontrollably.

"I'm not leaving. Not now, not ever. It was stupid of me to do before, and…" he sighed again, this time from lack of words. "Bella…Bella…Isabella…"

Each syllable was pronounced slowly and carefully as he said my name, his expression unreadable. I vaguely noticed that the car had stopped, that the engine no longer ran, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from the beauty of his gaze. I watched him struggle for words, fascinated despite myself by the complexity of his eyes. _They say that the eyes reflect the soul…_

"I wish I knew what to say." he whispered. His desperate gaze seemed to pierce into my very soul. "I wish I knew what I could say to make you believe me…"

"I _do_ believe you." I answered, my voice hardly audible, even to me. "It's just…it was just a dream, like I told you before."

It was several moments before he spoke again, and I could see a mental battle raging behind those entrancing, amber eyes of his. Finally, he nodded slowly. I knew he didn't believe me.

"Alright." he said, "As long as you know."

I smelled the scent of his breath before I noticed him lean in. No sooner had my head began to swim, his lips pressed very softly, very lightly, to mine. He held the contact for only a short moment – a _far_ too short of a moment – before pulling away and opening his door.

"Come on." he said quietly, and disappeared out the door, reappearing in front of mine. Again he offered me his hand, and again I took it, this time needing the help a bit more than I had thought; the sky and ground hadn't quite decided what angle they were going to stop at.

"Oof." I murmured as I tripped getting out of the car. Falling against his chest, I felt rather than heard his silent laughs.

"I fail to see how being accident prone is funny." I muttered, frowning as I steadied myself. His laugh was no longer silent.

"It isn't…funny, per se." he answered, his arm sliding comfortably around my waist, "It's…_endearing_."

I rolled my eyes, but said nothing. Rather, I glanced around at my surroundings, and almost stopped dead.

"Um…why are we…?"

"Here?" Edward finished for me, motioning to the massive, beautiful Victorian house that was the Cullens' home, "Because there's no one here, remember? No Charlie to interrupt our…_studying_."

The way he said the word made my stomach knot. I continued to look around, biting my lower lip. "Charlie's not going to like this…"

He laughed again, the beautiful sound echoing beneath the sweeping branches of the cedars. "Charlie knows." he said, "You don't think I would kidnap you, would you?"

"Wait…" I looked at him, "You mean…you told Charlie that you were taking me to your house, where we would study _alone_?"

I stopped and made a great show of examining his body, turning him this way and that. "Funny…I don't see any bullet holes…"

Again he laughed, and I couldn't help but smile myself. He gathered me into his arms as he answered.

"Well…_technically_ Carlisle and Esmé are still here." he answered, looking down at me with a soft expression, the look in his caramel eyes causing my heart to audibly react.

"_Technically_?"

"'Technically' being, 'as far as your father is concerned'."

"Ah."

"Ah."

He readjusted his grip on me, guiding me back up the path to the steps of the expansive porch, and through the door into the Cullens' spotless, glittering white home. I stopped in the doorway, again stunned by the beauty and simplicity of the designs of the room.

"Well? Are you coming?" Edward asked, and I looked up to catch his smile. His hand slid from around my waist, taking my hand instead, as he led me further into the house. We passed his piano, and I allowed my fingers to drag lightly across the keys as we walked by. It seemed forever since I last heard him play…

I looked up at him, the question plain in my eyes, and he shrugged.

"Maybe later." he said, and led me past the newly imported television – very big, very expensive – that had replaced the one Edward had torn in two after my 'vote'. Moving to the white leather couch that sat across from the TV, he dropped both his and my backpacks – both of which he had been carrying over one shoulder – to the ground with a loud _thunk_. He sat down and pulled me into his lap, his arms creating an inescapable barrier around my waist.

"So," he said, looking at me, "What next?"

"You got an answer to your question," I said, "Now it's my turn."

The smile faded slightly from his lips, but he nodded slowly. "Alright."

"Why didn't you tell me Billy was attacked?" I asked, looking hard at him.

He sighed, looking down. His hold on my waist loosened. "I didn't want you to go down to La Push."

"_Why_?"

"You _know_ why." he answered, and he looked up at me now, his eyes hard. "I can't follow you there without breaking the treaty – which I have no interest in doing."

"Nothing's going to happen to me at La Push, trust me." I answered coolly.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"And exactly what does that mean?"

"You almost died there."

"I was rescued by _Jacob_." I could feel him tense beneath me. "He would protect me; you don't have to worry—"

Quite abruptly, he stood up and placed me on my feet. "_I_ should be the one protecting you at _all_ times." His voice was almost a growl. "Not some dog boy! This _Jacob_ child has _no_ self control, whatsoever! If he were to get angry with you near, if he were to _hurt_ you—"

He cut himself off, resorting to merely frowning at me. I frowned back.

"I'm just…" he continued, his voice quieter as he turned away. Moving towards the wall of windows at the back of the house, he finished. "I'm worried about you, that's all."

We had had this sort of discussion far too many times, and each time he found some way to calm my resentment until we had drifted off topic. I was determined to keep on target this time. Just because his every word made my heart pine incessantly didn't mean he was going to get off that easily.

"I know Jacob." I said, my voice not quite as sharp as I had intended, "I _trust _him."

"Well," his voice was hard, heated, and I could imagine the look on his face. "I think that _Jacob_—"

He whirled around to face me, and had another of his lightning-fast mood swings. He stopped, the anger dissolving from his face, and seemed to rethink his words. Edward now looked at me innocently, an emotion hidden deep within his amber eyes that caused my stomach to jump nervously.

"I think you're annoyed with me." he murmured, and took a few steps towards me. I wasn't sure if his statement was rhetorical or not, but I answered anyway.

"I'm not sure _annoyed_ is the right word."

The look that had been shimmering in his eyes came into the open now, and he smiled wickedly. "Well…"

He disappeared. One moment he was there, at least nine feet from me, and the next he was behind me, his lips at my ear.

"We can't have that now, can we?" he asked softly, his voice deeply seductive.

I yelped and jumped away, a hand flying to my chest in surprise. "Don't _do_ that!!"

He looked at me, his grin still in place. My stomach knotted.

"Do what?" he asked innocently. In the time it took for me to blink, he was behind me. I backed right into him.

"_This_?" he whispered, and his arms locked around me.

"Edward…!" I gasped, and he chuckled quietly. His breath on my ear sent a shiver down my spine.

"Bella?" he said in answered, but I couldn't frame a coherent sentence. The tips of his long fingers had found my neck and now ran across my skin, raising goose bumps in his wake. I couldn't breathe.

"I…you…" I mumbled, but couldn't get past that. I had to consciously force myself to exhale as his fingers moved further down, pushing my sweater from my shoulders as he continued down my back. His nose began to trail my jaw, his lips touching my skin when he reached the hollow beneath my ear.

Edward chuckled again, his lips beginning to travel back across my jaw, depositing gentle, tantalizing kisses on my skin. His sweet breath reached me, and I breathed in greedily, as much to stop myself from fainting as to intake the scent. A strangled moan slipped from my lips as I felt his fingers move further down my back, pushing the sweater off my arms and to the floor as he traced the shape of my shoulder blades.

"Bella, Bella, Isabella…" he whispered as his lips continued ever further along my jaw. I began to turn my head towards him, vying to capture his lips on mine—

The next thing I heard was a low oath, and then Edward was gone. I collapsed back onto the couch, which was luckily only a few inches behind me. It took me a moment to locate him again – my head was spinning – but when I did, I saw him staring heatedly out the wall of windows again.

"Edward…?" I asked quietly, standing unsteadily and folding my bare arms across my chest. Wearing just the cami wasn't exactly the warmest thing in the world.

It looked as if I had interrupted him from deep thought. He turned to me, eyes wide and innocent.

"Yes?"

"What're…what're you doing?" I asked, moving towards him. I abruptly noticed that he had been looking for something…or someone.

"Nothing." he answered softly, coming towards me. "Now, I believe we were supposed to be studying?"


	3. Chapter 3

((Hey guys, long time no see. Sorry for the wait - things have been hectic. This chapter's a bit shorter than the others, for the smiple reason that it's been a while since I've had a chance to sit down and write. When that happens, things tend to come awkwardly for me. So I just cut this a bit short to save you from the humongo crappiness that I was originally trying to write :P)) 

_Chapter Three_

I felt Edward's eyes on me as I finished off a math problem, brushing the eraser shavings from my paper as I looked over the scrawled numbers and equations. I glanced up at him from the corner of my eye and found myself smiling faintly.

"See something interesting?" I asked as my eyes turned back to my paper.

"Nothing more interesting than usual." he answered, and I could almost hear the smile in his voice. I felt him tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch so light I wouldn't have thought he had truly touched me if my hair hadn't moved. "However, that's still far more interesting than anything I've seen in a while."

"Not even your 'distractions'?" I asked, scribbling on another problem. I wasn't sure how smart it was to bring up his…_vacation_, but, to my relief, he chuckled and playfully ruffled my hair.

"Not even my distractions." he answered, smiling. His face abruptly became serious as he moved to lightly touch my face. I raised my eyes to his.

"You know you're the most important thing in my life, Bella." he said quietly. My heart beat joyously in my chest.

"Now," he said, his mood changing a third time. Suddenly he was all business. "I believe you have some math problems for me to look over."

"No, actually, you really don't have to look at it..." I said, discreetly pulling the paper away from his outstretched fingers. I didn't really want him to look over my messy chicken scratch to see the stupid mistakes I'd undoubtedly made.

"Bella…" he warned, his eyebrows raised.

"I'm a senior – I don't need Big Brother checking my work." I teased, leaning towards him. Perhaps if I could distract him…I subtly put the paper behind my back.

Edward leaned towards me as well, his eyes closed, his face an expression of delight as he inhaled my scent as if it were the most delicious perfume the world had to offer.

_I_ was teasing _him_. How often did _this_ happen?

He slid closer to me, his nose drifting to my jaw. Needless to say, I suddenly found it very hard to breathe.

"There's something about you today…" he murmured, and a shiver ran down my spine as his breath played across my skin. "You're so _deliciously_ tempting…"

"Tempting…how?" I asked, fighting to keep my voice steady.

"Shall I demonstrate?" he asked quietly, smiling devilishly. His fingers gently pressed to the skin beneath my chin, gently tilting my head up.

"Mmm, I'm not sure I like the sound of that…" I murmured breathlessly, my eyes already closed.

His laugh was almost silent, his arm curling around my waist. I could feel his lips hesitate hardly a centimeter from mine – an irresistible temptation. I leaned in slowly…

Next thing I knew, he had slipped my math homework from my hand, rolled onto his back, and held it above his face as he studied it, a cocky smile on his face. It took a moment for my brain to register what had happened.

"You tricked me!" I gasped, sitting up. He burst out laughing.

"I figured it would be the only way I could get it from you. _Someone_ has to be sure that you don't fail math."

"Edward!"

"How can you expect to get into a good college if you're failing?"

I grimaced, reaching forward to tilt his face to look at me.

"I'm not going to college, remember?"

"Unless you have a certain ring on your finger, you are."

I frowned, rolling onto my back again. "Not this…not now." I moaned.

His laugh sounded again as he rolled onto his side, his fingers reaching out to touch my cheek bone. "I'll tell you what we'll do." he said, "Let's go take a walk, and we'll come back to this later."

"A walk?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"A walk." he affirmed, standing so fast I missed the movement when I blinked. He offered a hand to me and lifted me to my feet and, once he had, strode in a flash to the door and held it open for me.

I paused in the doorway as the cool wind swept in through the open door. The sun had started its descent towards the horizon by now, and with the fading light came the fade in temperature. It still wasn't _too _cold; I was quite comfortable with my sweater zippered up. He turned to look at me.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. I nodded and smiled reassuringly.

"Fine." I answered, and moved to join him where he stood at the edge of the porch. With a fleeting, angelic smile he slipped his arm comfortably around my waist and he began pulling me down the steps and across the lawn, headed for the banks of the nearby river.

"Hm…" he murmured softly as he stared at the flowing water, which seemed to have shrunk from its regular banks with the few days without rain. I looked at him curiously, waiting for him to either look at me or say something more, neither of which he did. After a few moments I poked him in the side.

"'Hm' what?" I prodded, and he now looked down at me with an amused smile.

"'Hm' I'm thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"About our future." he said, his gaze far off now. He wasn't looking at me, he was looking _past_ me, to a time that I could hardly dream about.

"How far into 'our future'?" I queried as I watched him, enjoying the pleasant feeling in my chest as I examined his overly-beautiful face. "My one hundredth birthday party?"

He chuckled. "Not quite _that _far ahead."

"How far?"

"More like…Spring Break."

I frowned, unsure of what plans he could possibly be making for Spring Break. Unless he was finally loosening up on our agreement and planned to move my 'birthday' up from graduation to the two weeks we had off in May…

The thought made a shiver run down my spine, and his arm tightened around my waist.

"What about Spring Break?"

"Do you ever run out of questions?"

"Well you can't go telling me that you're thinking about something and then not tell me what you're thinking about…"

He smiled faintly and dipped me low, my hair swinging out behind me so that it brushed over the blades of grass. I gasped at the sudden movement, and threw my arms around his neck, clinging to him to dear life. He laughed.

"Do you think that I would _ever_ drop you?" he asked, his golden eyes amused, "Or are you so used to falling that this is a natural reaction?" I frowned at him.

"Haha, very funny. I thought _I _was the one asking the questions, here."

"Alright, alright." he pulled me back to a standing position again, where I collapsed against his chest. His arms automatically wrapped around me, trapping my body against his. I looked up at him, still awaiting my answer. "Well, I was thinking that during Spring Break, we would take a little field trip to Jacksonville."

I looked at him quizzically. "Jacksonville?"

He raised an amused eyebrow. "You _do _recall those ticket vouchers my parents gave you for your birthday, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course I do." I blushed faintly at my own empty-headedness.

"Well, when's a better time to use them than Spring Break?"

He smiled his glorious smile and dazzled me with a soft look of his eyes. A flush rose in my cheeks and my stomach did a few flips at the thought of uninterrupted alone time…

"Hm…" I murmured, smiling in what I hoped was a coy fashion, "I think that would be fabulous idea…"

"Good." He said softly, and began to slowly incline his neck towards me. Of their own accord, my hands began to slip up his chest to his neck…

There was a solid _thunk_ and his head jolted towards mine, soundly bumping foreheads.

"Ow!" we shouted in unison.

"What the hell??" he grumbled, pulling away and looking around. I ignored my disappointment for the time being and felt him stiffen slightly beneath my fingers.

Something hard and grey came flying through the air, and Edward's hand snapped up to catch it. When he opened his palm again, a smooth stone sat in his palm. Tossing the stone up once or twice, his raised his face to the wind, searching it for a scent.

"That's strange…" he murmured, "I don't…"

He abruptly twisted, his hand flying up again. Something slapped against his skin, and then another stone was there.

"That's it." He growled – and then the wind changed. His eyes flashed in recognition, and a second later, he was gone.

"E-Edward?"

There he was, half an inch from me only a minute before. Now, in point-zero seconds flat, I'm alone. The wind continued to blow, picking up in intensity and tossing my hair wildly, knocking the branches of the ancient trees together and rattling the leaves, leaving an eerie chill on my bones. I tried his name again and – for a moment – there was no answer. Then something came crashing out of the undergrowth with enough force to make the nearby ground shake, and it was a moment before I could realize that it was Edward and his large bear of a brother Emmett.

"Oh!" I yelped as they landed hard on the ground, Edward seeming to have just discovered and thereby tackled his brother. They wrestled and rolled on the ground for a few moments before Emmett was finally able to roll over on top of his 'younger' brother, pinning him to the ground and locking his arms behind his back. Edward growled and struggled, but a grin lit up his face.

"Afternoon, Bella." Emmett said, grinning as well, though his face was strained and the muscles in his neck bulged as he fought to keep his brother trapped on the ground.

"Long time no see." I answered with a laugh. The sound was shaky, but I was genuinely happy to see Emmett. "I thought you and Rosalie were vacationing."

"They were." Edward said, finally buying some purchase and – with a movement that was quick as a flash – flipped both himself and his brother over, forcing him to come down hard on Emmett's chest and knocking the breath out of him. Though vampires didn't exactly have to breath, the shock of the blow caused Emmett to release his arms, and soon Edward was on his feet, brushing leaves and dirt off himself. "But it would seem that my _brother_, here, decided to spy on us."

"I wasn't spying!" Emmett objected as he too stood, "I was just…leaving you two alone while making sure that nothing got…er…inappropriate."

I found myself blushing at this statement.

"Very funny." Edward said, but his lips had set into that thin-lipped frown that came with his annoyance. "Why are you here?"

Emmett flashed Edward a meaningful look before speaking, and I caught Edward's eyes widen and heard his teeth clink together.

"I was just coming back to grab some things from the house and I smelled your scent. I figured I would drop in." he answered, the picture of nonchalance as he shrugged innocently. I raised my eyebrow. I could tell by the way that Edward was fighting a frown that Emmett wasn't telling the truth – or not all of it, anyway.

"And dropping in would include throwing rocks at us?" I asked sarcastically. Emmett smirked again.

"Like I said, trying to keep things PG."

"It hadn't even reached PG-13 yet…" I muttered sourly. "And are you going to tell me what you just told Edward, or not?"

Both vampires stiffened and exchanged a quick glance. I smiled in triumph.

"Ha! You're hiding something. I _knew_ it!"

"Bella—"

"Edward." I said, my voice hard. I gave him the flat look that I always had when I saw past his pretenses. I could tell from the spark in his eye that he knew that he wasn't getting away without telling me what's going on. With a sigh, he looked at me pleadingly.

"Not here, alright?" he asked softly, both his arms slipping around my waist as he stared down into my eyes. "Later."

"_Edward_…" I whined, the persuasive powers of his eyes taking hold of me yet again as he leaned in, his lips hovering a few centimeters from mine.

"Please?" he whispered. I couldn't resist those eyes – I _never_ could. If I was ever going to live with him, I was going to have to somehow find a way to combat that…but I had a feeling that I never would.

"Fine." I said, giving in. "But you're _going_ to tell me."

"Eventually." he said, smiling as he touched his lips to my forehead.

From a few feet away, Emmett gave a rather loud cough, and both of us snapped back to reality. I had completely forgotten that the other vampire was there.

"Can we, ugh…go inside, now?" he asked, looking at the ground before looking up at Edward, and finally to me. He pointed to the sky. "It looks like rain."

With a sheepish grin, I followed the two brothers inside, Edward's hand firmly in mine.


End file.
